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'In the case of Phoenix House, many HBO films do focus on addiction. We have all seen many young people succumb to peer pressure to try substances to escape reality. The need for escape seems great right now. '

Remember, there's a high probability that if you have been sexually active, you have or have had HPV. Get screened, prevent transmission of the virus with barrier protection, support your immune system and consider vaccinations for your kids or if you are in the appropriate age range.

The Red franchise (for this is number two) is an adaptation of a D.C. Comics product. And yes, on the surface, it does the usual fast-paced, guns-fighting-martial-arts and multiple locations type show. Which is no bad thing.

The idea that a heart attack is "natural" for a man of only 51 is a dangerous fallacy that medicine has tried very hard to dispel. A heart attack is a disease state caused by specific circumstances, and it needs to -- and can -- be prevented.

As we watch how Ms. Zeta-Jones manages her illness, there may be much to learn from someone so talented -- so successful, and yet ill -- about how to not let bipolar disorder, or any mental or addictive disease, derail or destroy a life or a family.

It's very nice that Oscars made a special tribute to movie musicals. The only problem is that not a single one of the musicals honored (Chicago, Dreamgirls, Les Miz) was ever eligible for Oscar's own category of "Best Original Musical."

I ask both men if there's a common occurrence of any sort of behavior-altering drug pushing anyone over a moral limit. "Alcohol," says Mr. Burns. But what about murder? "Alcohol," repeats Mr. Burns with a bit of a laugh.

Dear Steven Soderbergh: Please don't stop making movies. Your name is high on the list of filmmakers whose careers I'm thankful have coincided with my career as a movie critic. And Side Effects is further proof that you are at the height of your powers as a filmmaker.

Gerard Butler makes the worst choices of film roles. Has he had anything close to a hit since he starred in 300? The answer is no. He has parlayed that one success into a Hollywood career. And he is still making likeable losers such as his latest Playing for Keeps.